The Benefits of Green Tea Extract (EGCG)

In diseases like chronic kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, a poor quality of life seems go with these territories. In the June 2011 issue of Life Extension, improving kidney function along with all the aforementioned diseases and their capacity to be improved with green tea extract was the focus.

The fact that much of kidney disease, cancer and diabetes, depending on their severity can be reversible with early detection through blood testing was also suggested. Early detection is the key to avoiding pharmaceutical drugs that cause side effects, and the benefits of green tea extract (EGCG) can be a great alternative option.

Green tea extract and it's chief component, EGCG otherwise known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate from what studies have shown, seems to have the most widespread benefits in research done by Dr. Francesco Marotta and his team from Milan, Italy. His Research Group for Aging Intervention was the venue at which these studies took place.

Cancer

Angiogenesis, a process that takes place when cancerous tumors invade the surrounding tissue and break it down with enzymes can be intervened by the polyphenols derived from green tea. Alternative methods are currently being explored in preventing chemotherapy with green tea by attempting to avoid any cancer before it shows up clinically.

Heart Disease

Endothelial dysfunction is a condition in which the lining of blood vessels becomes changed and can progress toward arterial stiffening. After that plaque is likely to form. EGCG's catechins will help to improve the function of the endothelial due to their ability to produce nitric oxide, a substance that signals blood vessels to dialate and relax in response to blood flow. Green tea extract is helpful in decreasing blood pressure by way of an angiotensin inhibitor. This angiotensin converting enzyme is recognized for boosting blood pressure. Another noteworthy aspect of green tea extract is it's ability to limit stiffness in blood vessels, therefore reducing high cardiovascular risks.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

One of the major benefits of EGCG, or green tea extract is it's numerous avenues with which it inhibits inflammation by reducing cytokine production. Cytokines are turned on by a "master switch" so to speak, that causes inflammation called nuclear factor-kappaB. The extract is capable of arresting that process resulting in less inflammatory processes that cause a host of disease conditions.

Source: June 2011 issue of Life Extension